Joanna Droegemeier, a child care and development specialist at the Child Development Center aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow laughs with Jacob Flores outside the CDC Jan. 20. While not at the CDC, Droegemeier, a Barstow, Calif., native, is a student full time at California State University-Fullerton as an elementary education major.

BARSTOW, Calif. -- In the early stages of human development, a child’s mind is often described as a sponge, growing with every bit of habit and knowledge it absorbs.

To ensure the children of the Child Development Center aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif., are cared for properly and carefully, one employee utilizes her knowledge to enhance the well-being of the kids.

Joanna Droegemeier, a program assistant with the CDC on base enjoys caring for children, a job she, one day, hopes to make a career.

Droegemeier, who’s been with the CDC since May 2010, is a full time student at California State University-Fullerton and balances her time between attending classes for her major in elementary education and caring for the children at the center.

The 22-year old CDC worker involves herself with many aspects of the children’s lives at the CDC. She helps with art projects, teaches sports and incorporates several educational tools such as an electronic smart board during “power hour”, a time in which the children work on homework.

“My favorite part about my job has to be the school-aged kids. They make me laugh in so many ways,” she explained. “I wish more people would see the world the way these kids do. They never worry about a thing,” she added.

Droegemeier attributes her love of her job to the children she takes care of.

“I love taking care of these kids; almost everything about it is fun for me,” Droegemeier explained. “And every day is different. They’re always making my day,” she added.

It seems fit for Droegemeier to care for children on a military installation being a military child herself. She explained that she comes from a military family and has lived in places to include Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Germany. She finally settled in Barstow at the age of 10 after her father received orders to National Training Center Fort Irwin.

Droegemeier hopes to continue her ties with the military by teaching on a military installation. Along with her current aspirations to teach elementary students, she plans to continue her own education and obtain a master’s degree.

At the end of the day, two things are apparent: she cares for the children she tends to at the base CDC and loves doing it.